Central Michigan University Athletics
No. 23 Gymnastics Closes Out Rose Center this Weekend
3/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Gymnast Scorecards
MOUNT PLEASANT — After two successful weeks on the road, the No. 23 Central Michigan gymnastics team returns home for the final athletic contest in Rose Center when it hosts Ball State on Saturday.
The conference dual begins at 2 p.m.
The Chippewas (10-2, 3-1 Mid-American) have scored over 195 points in each of the past two weeks while on the road. CMU dominated Northern Illinois, 195.850-191.900, and dispatched previously No. 23 Arizona State, 195.575-194.825. The efforts propelled the Maroon and Gold to their first midseason national top 25 ranking since 2004. Central ended the 2009 season ranked No. 23.
CMU currently sports a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 194.665.
“It’s a huge confidence booster for us to be in the top 25,” head coach Jerry Reighard said. “We have talked about it all year and it was a goal for our upperclassmen. Until you experience it and feel what it’s like, it is hard to wrap your hands around. The team is excited about it and they should be.”
Saturday’s meet will mark the end of an era of competition in the current Rose Center. Construction of the new CMU Events Center is underway and the interior of Rose will be renovated in the coming months. The Events Center is projected to be in place and in use by November.
Saturday will also be senior day as the Chippewas will honor top performers Katie Simon and Jessica Suder at the end of the meet.
“I truly have seen it from the beginning,” Reighard said. “I was a student-athlete when Rose opened. To close it out and be the last sporting event here is very cool. I think it is something that we’ll all remember. It’s something that a Katie Simon and a Jessica Suder will come back and be amazed at how things look years from now. Things are progressing well on this campus and this is very exciting. We’re going to have a great meet to close this building out with on Saturday.”
Ball State enters the week with a 5-9 overall record and an 0-4 mark in MAC duals. The Cardinals rank fourth in the conference with a 192.185 RQS. Ball State’s highest score this season was a 193.925 at Illinois State.
The Chippewas are 45-11 all-time against the Cardinals.
A live video webcast will be available for the meet through the CMU Sports Zone (subscription rates apply). Results and a recap will be available on cmuchippewas.com following the competition.
News and Notes
Crowded at the Top — Andrea de la Garza and Katie Simon were both sharp in the Chippewas’ victory over No. 23 Arizona State last Friday. De la Garza and Simon shared the all-around title with identical 39.275 scores. Simon’s performance was highlighted by a season-best 9.875 on balance beam (the best in the MAC this season) while de la Garza scored 9.800 or higher in all four events for her best all-around score since 2008.
Leading the Way — Katie Simon is displaying some of the poise that made her the 2009 Mid-American Conference all-around champion. Simon’s top scores rank in the top five among all MAC gymnasts in every event. Simon is tied for the conference lead on vault (9.875) and beam (9.875), is second on bars (9.900) and all-around (39.350) and is tied for seventh on floor (9.850).
Flying High — The vault has been a strength for the Chippewas all season long. CMU owns the top three scores on the apparatus in the conference with a 49.200 (third-best in school history) against Denver and BYU and a 49.100 against both Northern Illinois and Arizona State. Central is 19th in the country in the event with an RQS of 48.955.
Three for 49 — The Chippewas had their best all-around performance of the season at Northern Illinois with a score of 195.850. The breakout night was aided by three team event scores of 49 or better. The Maroon and Gold scored 49.100 on vault, 49.050 on floor exercise and 49.000 on balance beam.


Instant Impact — A roster comprised of eight freshmen would be a concern to some teams, but the Maroon and Gold have shown a knack for developing newcomers into instant contributors. A Central Michigan gymnast has been named MAC Freshman of the Year in each of the past three seasons. Katie Simon claimed the award in 2007, Andrea de la Garza took it in 2008 and Kristin Teubner made it three in a row last season. This season, Britney Taylor sports the conference’s sixth-best all-around score (39.125), is tied for the league lead on vault (9.875) and is third on beam (9.850).


Classic Win — Central’s victory in the 18th annual State of Michigan Classic broke a long drought in the statewide competition. CMU scored a season-best 194.975 to beat No. 21 Michigan State, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan to capture its first win in the competition since 1999.
